426 Sino-Iranica 



extent, west of the Cape." F. P. Smith, 1 with reference to this state- 

 ment of Williams, asserts that the drug is unknown in Central China, 

 and has not been met with in the pages of the Pen ts'ao. Likewise 

 Stuart, 2 on referring to DuHalde and Williams, says, "No other 

 authorities are found for this plant occurring in China, and it is not 

 mentioned in the Pen ts'ao. The Customs Lists do not mention it; so, 

 if exported as Williams claims, it must be by land routes. The subject 

 is worthy of investigation." Cassia fistula is not listed in the work of 

 Forbes and Hemsley. 



There is no doubt that the trees described by DuHalde and Williams 

 exist, but the question remains whether they are correctly identified. 

 The name hwai used by Williams would rather point to a Sophora, 

 which likewise yields a long pod containing one or five seeds, and his 

 description of the pulp as reddish does not fit Cassia fistula. Contrary 

 to the opinions of Smith and Stuart, the species of Williams is referred 

 to in the Pen ts'ao kah mu? As an appendix to his a-p'o-lo (instead of 

 a-lo-p x o), Li Si-cen treats of the seeds of a plant styled lo-wan-tse jH 

 HI -J*, quoting the Kwei hai yii hen U by Fan C'eh-ta (1126-93) as 

 follows: "Its habitat is in Kwan-si. The pods are several inches long, 

 and are like those of th&Jei tsao BE 4b {Gleditschia or Gymnocladus sinen- 

 sis) and the tao tou 73 fi[ (Canavallia ensijormis). The color [of the 

 pulp] is standard red IE ;Q\ Inside there are two or three seeds, which 

 when baked are eatable and of sweet and agreeable flavor." 4 This lo-wah 

 is identified with Tamarindus indica; 5 and this, I believe, is also the 

 above plant of Williams, which must be dissociated from Cassia fistula; 

 for, while Li Si-cen notes the latter as a purely exotic plant, he does not 

 state that it occurs in China; as to lo-wan, he merely regards it as a 

 kindred affair on account of the peculiar pods: this does not mean, of 

 course, that the trees yielding these V^pods are related species. The 

 fruit of Tamarindus indica is a large swollen pod from four to six inches 

 long, filled with an acid pulp. In India it is largely used as food, being 

 a favorite ingredient in curries and chutnies, and for pickling fish. It is 

 also employed in making a cooling drink or sherbet. 6 



1 Contributions towards the Materia Medica of China, p. 53. 



2 Chinese Materia Medica, p. 96. 



3 Ch. 31, p. 9 b. 



4 The text is exactly reproduced (see the edition in the Ci pu tsu lai ts'un Su, 

 p. 24). 



5 Matsumura, No. 3076 (in Japanese cosen-modama-raboU). 

 « Watt, Commercial Products of India, p. 1067. 



